Dollar General makes personal care donations to address period poverty

Because a reported 16.9 million women in the United States are living in poverty, two-thirds of which could not afford personal care products in the past year, seven Dollar General distribution centers and their employees across the nation donated more than 36,000 feminine hygiene products in 2023. They are again donating in their local communities this year.

• DG's Scottsville, Ky. distribution center donates to Allen County Scottsville High School

After talking with her younger sister last fall, Elizabeth T., an inbound-outbound manager at DG’s Scottsville DC, discovered that the local high school was not always able to provide resources for feminine hygiene. Working with the DG Diversity and Inclusion team, the Scottsville DC launched a voluntary initiative surrounding the cause, collecting sanitary napkins and tampon donations for Allen County-Scottsville High School. In March 2023, the Scottsville DC donated more than 3,500 pads, 1,000 tampons and 330 panty liners for students. “I felt like it was an important thing to have for our younger generation of females in the community,” said Elizabeth.

In addition, the Scottsville DC recently donated personal care products to the International Center of Kentucky, helping to provide hygiene essentials to incoming refugees.

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• Walton, Ky.

In Northern Kentucky, Dollar General’s Walton DC collaborated with employees for a feminine hygiene product drive. The collective donations benefited Sunrise Children’s Services, a nonprofit providing therapeutic foster care and community-based services statewide.

“Often, our children arrive with little notice and few possessions, sometimes only the clothes they are wearing,” said Jake Pelfrey, vice president of advancement at Sunrise Children’s Services. “Dollar General’s support in caring specifically for the young ladies in our program is invaluable. It enables us to offer healing and hope, showing these girls that they are surrounded by a community that loves, cares and roots for them.”

• Alachua, Fla.

DG's Alachua, Fla. distribution center donates to Blossoming Butterfly.

DG’s Alachua DC selected the nonprofit organization, Blossoming Butterfly as the recipient of its feminine hygiene product drive – collecting and donating an estimated $3,700 worth of assorted items. Blossoming Butterfly provides encouragement, education and support for individuals battling cancer. Uniquely, their focus is on preparing for the battle, providing financial assistance and maintaining a pantry of needed items that align with the organization’s values and goals for community impact.

“It was incredibly fulfilling to collect and provide donations to Blossoming Butterfly,” said Khassi Areama, DG’s director of diversity and inclusion and former senior human resources manager for Alachua DC. “Knowing that our contribution supported individuals in need and helped fulfill a crucial need for feminine hygiene products was deeply rewarding.”

• Ardmore, Okla.

At Ardmore High School and Madill Middle School in Oklahoma, school officials noticed several girls were absent once a month because their families could not afford menstrual products.

Joi B., director of diversity and inclusion at DG, worked with the Ardmore DC to establish a feminine product collection drive for the 2023-2024 school year.

“In the 30 years that I have been the school nurse at Ardmore High School, this donation is one of the absolute best things that has ever happened," said Ranita Dodson, Ardmore High School Nurse. "We have been able to help so many girls who would have otherwise missed school, and we have also been able to send products home with girls over the weekend, when we know they don’t have the resources at home.” 

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• Indianola, Miss.

DG's Indianola, Miss. distribution center donates to the local school

In addition to supporting each distribution center’s personal care product drive, Joi B. has made it a personal mission to support the hygiene needs in her local community of Indianola. She independently established "Keep It Cute" shelves at local schools, which serve as repositories of feminine hygiene and other basic clothing products where students can privately access what they need at no cost.

“I want young girls to be comfortable to speak about it and say, ‘I need this,’” Joi said. “With Dollar General’s focus being Serving Others, it just really stuck with me because that’s all I do, that’s all I know.”

Dollar General has supported Joi’s efforts through product donations, the DG Kindness employee recognition program including a $1,000 donation and the annual Women’s History Month drives – and Joi’s efforts were recently spotlighted through partner content with Reader’s Digest.

In addition to the collective efforts of the DCs and their employees, DG has implemented feminine care produce drives at the company’s distribution centers and the Store Support Center throughout the month to continue to support women and raise awareness of period poverty. Want to help in your local community? Consider contacting your local schools’ family resource coordinator or other organizations which serve females to inquire about their needs.